This year, I celebrated my 30th birthday, and for the occasion I wanted to make my own outfit. So let's get started: I will tell you everything!
The first thing to know is that my favourite colour is blue. That is why the theme of my birthday party was "30 nuances de bleu". This already helped guide my fabric choice... But I still had to decide which one: plain or printed? Linen, cotton sateen or viscose?
I was torn between two beautiful viscose fabrics: "Leaf bleu", in a 3 m remnant, or "Arabesques fleuries aquarellées", a viscose sold by the metre.
And, as with any good dilemma, I naturally asked my colleagues for their opinions! I showed them the two fabrics, hoping they would help me decide... But the poll ended in a tie! 😅 (They are both very beautiful, after all.) So I was back to square one: I would have to decide for myself. But my heart spoke, and this remnant had been catching my eye for far too long... So I chose the Leaf bleu remnant! All that remained was to hope my entire outfit would fit into it... Phew! Spoiler alert: the whole outfit did indeed fit into the remnant!
Because yes, for my 30th birthday I wanted to be dressed in handmade clothes from head to toe.
At first, I had thought of making a dress, particularly Linger by Maison Fauve, which I had already made for a wedding. You can find the blog post here. We had even made a short video with the team, which gave us quite a few laughs!
But I do not actually wear dresses often enough in everyday life, and I wanted to create an outfit I could wear again afterwards.
Then I considered a jumpsuit. But let's be honest, they are not always very practical... That is why I love creating faux jumpsuits: a matching top and trousers that look like one piece from a distance, while actually being two separate garments. This also lets you wear them separately afterwards, which is very useful!
The top: Doll by Maison Fauve
For the top, I had had the Doll top by Maison Fauve on my to-sew list for a while, and I was very tempted.
The Doll top has a lovely open round neckline and, above all, beautiful draped sleeves. That is what drew me to this design: they give it its distinctive character. The pattern is suitable for beginners, or intermediate sewists when made in a fluid fabric such as viscose.
Viscose is beautiful... but not always easy to work with! My little tip for making this type of fabric easier to cut is to starch it. Starch is sold in supermarkets in several forms. For me, spray starch is the most practical. It gives viscose more body and really makes cutting easier.
For sewing, I also use a Microtex needle to reduce the risk of damaging or marking the fabric.
I made size 38, which fits me very well at the shoulders and bust. Unfortunately, however, I had a little too much fabric around the neckline... With the time available, I had not made a toile before starting. So I had to make the adjustment directly in my lovely fabric. I took in the excess at the neckline with an inverted box pleat. And, in the end... I think this little alteration works rather well!
You can find Doll as a printed pattern here if you are as taken with this design as I am. It also comes in sizes 34 to 52, so there are no excuses!
Maison Fauve version
Ségolène version
The homemade trousers, or "copying my favourite garment"
The trousers, meanwhile, are a "Home Made Pattern".
Drafting trousers is certainly one of the most complex parts of patternmaking. That is why I started with a shop-bought pair that fitted me very well and had a fairly simple cut... and copied them!
They now serve as my base, to which I make whatever changes I want to create the designs I imagine.
For this pair, for example, I created a large inverted box pleat down the centre front of each leg and made a shaped waistband at the waist, for a fitted result.
A little anecdote: I originally imagined this design for my graduation collection. Here, I reworked it to fit my size and make it easier to wear every day. I love it: comfortable and elegant at the same time!
And if you would like to draft your own clothes too, did you know I teach patternmaking classes? We also run classes on copying your favourite garments... so come and discover the classes here.
Attaching the shaped waistband
Pressing is essential
And so are lovely labels!
And for my mum...
For this occasion, I did not just make my own outfit: I also made my mum's.
For the top, she chose the Madame Maki pattern by Studio Schnittreif, and for the trousers, Tomy by Clématisse Pattern.
The Maki blouse has everything an easy everyday garment needs: a relaxed fit, a delicate round neckline (neatly finished with bias binding), wide sleeves (7/8 or short) and a longer back with a box pleat. Side slits give more freedom of movement and make MADAME MAKI even more stylish. Another bonus: this blouse has no buttons and is very easy to sew! Beginner-friendly, then! It comes in XS - XXL and is available as a PDF, which is perfect.
I made a few alterations to simplify it as much as possible, because my mum wanted a very, very simple design. I removed the centre-back pleat and the slit at the hem under the arms. For the neckline, I chose a flat bias facing, hidden inside, for a clean, discreet finish.
For the bottom half, I made her the trouser version of the Tomy pattern by Clématisse Pattern. It is a very simple, beginner-friendly design. It is a pattern I really like and recommend. I have already made it many times: in linen, viscose and linen-viscose, ideal for warmer days... And I fully intend to make myself a pair in fine-wale corduroy for the coming autumn! You can choose to make it with or without pockets if you want an even simpler version. The elasticated waistband makes it easy to adapt the trousers to the wearer's measurements, for a comfortable, well-fitting result.
Tomy is also available as a PDF or a printed pattern in sizes 32 to 52! Come and discover it here.
The little finishing touch
To finish my makes, I always add a little label. It is a small detail I love, with a very practical purpose too: it makes it easy to identify the back of the garment! ♡
I am delighted with our lovely blue outfits, which are so easy to wear again every day.
And you, do you have favourite makes too? Come on, all that is left is to get sewing: pick up your needles!
